Moonscape
by darkwitch792
Summary: Retelling of Twilight/ He was like cold water; smooth, cold, and graceful. One look at him both quenched my thirst, and ignited my hunger. It was a dangerous attraction, but how could I avoid the beauty of the creature before me? I couldn't.
1. Movements

**_Disclaimer: Had I been born a genius I might have owned Twilight, but it does not apply and therefore I DO NOT._**

**Chapter One**

For an hour and a half I pushed and shoved at the books that refused to fit into my already overflowing bag. It was not for a lack of trying that I could not seem to fit my most prized possessions into the stupid boxy invention that man had come to call a suitcase. In a last ditch attempt I jumped onto the bed and leapt down onto the purple cover of my luggage and as my luck would have it, instead of landing gracefully, I slid sideways and fell with a painful thump onto my butt.

"Stupid bulky piece of junk!" I wasn't usually so aggressive but honestly nothing seemed to be cooperating the way I needed it to!

Six pairs of feet could be heard running quickly up the steps only to stop abruptly in front of my bedroom door. A knock sounded against furnished wood before two heads peered in cautiously. I sighed before mumbling a 'come in'. Six tall figures in the forms of my two older male cousins, my uncle, my mother, and two of my aunts, loomed over me with expressions bubbling with mirth.

"Oh, just laugh already. It's not like you haven't done it at my expense before." Laughing at the situations I usually found myself in, due to my clumsy nature, was actually a daily occurrence.

With my consent, five of the six figures burst into laughter. The only one who didn't, had a smug smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Chris, my second oldest cousin, offered me a hand and I grabbed it gratefully to pull myself up. With a quick glare at the still chuckling five figures, I turned to my evil suitcase and gave a loud huff of irritation. My mother Renee seemed to recover from her bout of laughter first and came around to place a hand on my shoulder. She smiled in apology before glancing at my predicament.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you just use an enlargement spell? Wouldn't that have saved you some time and pain?" I blushed. It had completely slipped my mind that I was a witch and could have easily increased the area of my luggage. Instead I had acted like a foolish overgrown child and attacked the thing. I sighed.

Yes, my family and I consisted of Witches and White-lighters (angels) that were descended from a long line of magical ancestors that dated back to centuries before my time. Although my mother had originally married a human man named Charlie Swan, they had divorced shortly after my birth. My mother then returned with me, to San Francisco, to live at the Halliwell manor. My father however, remained in a small town called Forks, Washington. My birth had been unusual; my father being human should havemade me only half magical. However on the day of my prophesied birth my magical blood had some how conducted my human DNA, replacing it with half of my mothers White-lighter blood, a quarter of my mothers witch blood, and a quarter of Dark-lighter blood ,that came from a side effect of a demon attack on my mother the day she gavebirth to me. It was an odd occurrence that allowed me to gain multiple powers from the different magical classifications, but also left me with a future riddled with danger. I was a target of many demons wishing to influence me on to their side, in order to use my power against The Charmed Sisters (my three aunts Phoebe, Piper, and Paige),which leads me back to the present. I was currently headed to live with my mortal father Charlie, in order to avoid the constant threat of demons to my health. Since the last few months after the full Awakening of my magical abilities, I had woken up in the middle of the night only to realize that I was not alone in my room. It 

had been hell but the many hostile situations had allowed me to become more confident in my fighting abilities and my magical ones. This had falsely lead me to believe that my family would cease to worry so much about my life and the constant threats to it, instead I found myself packing my bags for a more permanent residence in the small rainy town of Forks.

The reason for my repulsion to the town was simple. It was too green and soggy. I had always preferred the hot, smoggy atmosphere of San Francisco and it hurt to have to leave it behind. Sure my Witch abilities allowed me to visit anytime I wished, but even that would be limited in order to ensure my seclusion and more importantly my father's protection against any of the multiple demons that were after my magic.

Leo, my Aunt Piper's husband and one of my favorite people in the world, brought me back out of my self pity. "Bella, you know this is only because we love you. Any more of these attacks and you'll be too physically stressed to have adequate control over your powers. There linked to your emotions and you've been increasingly aggravated at the smallest things from your lack of sleep. Besides, this gives you a chance to spend time with Charlie."

He always gave me a more positive outlook on situations and his words had reassured me. Leo was right; this would definitely give me a chance to get to know my father. Suddenly I was more excited about the prospect of spending two years of my life in Forks. I mean, why not? It only got me closer to fulfilling my dream of someday traveling the world. I nodded at Leo and turned back to my suitcase. Muttering a quick incantation I flicked my wrist at the purple monstrosity and the books fell with a thump into the middle. I quickly zipped it up and turned back with a triumphant smile to my audience. Wyatt was the first to make a smart comment on my extraordinary magical skills.

"Took ya' long enough to figure that out. Is that all you've got? We have to start heading to the airport." He threw his mother Piper a frustrated glance and I laughed when Piper poked him in the ribs disapprovingly. Wyatt didn't understand why he couldn't just magically orb me to Charlie's house in Forks instead of going through all those formalities at the airport. Piper however was adamant about using magic unnecessarily. She said it was part of the experience, to which Wyatt had snorted.

"Well, where's Aunt Phoebe? I want to say goodbye before I leave." I looked at my blonde haired cousin Chris for an answer.

"She's waiting for you in Forks actually. Just to make sure Charlie is notified of the basics of you living there and any safety precautions that may need to be taken if somehow there was a demon attack there." He shrugged and pointed to my youngest aunt Paige. "She was supposed to be your guide for the week, until you got settled in, but I said it would be less conspicuous if I did it. "

"Chris here is trying to make up for that stunt he pulled last week." Aunt Paige smirked and to my surprise the usually shameless Chris blushed red. He was a really private person, but his intimate life had never been a secret from us what with Aunt Phoebe and me being empathetic.

I raised my eyebrows at him and smiled mischievously. "Wow Chrissy, I didn't know you were having these sudden urges." The reason for my teasing was because Leo had caught Chris the other week, with a girl in nothing but a shirt of his, rummaging through our fridge. To say the least, Chris had been adequately punished for his reckless behavior. Leo was a bit of an old fashioned man when it came to romancing women and it was no surprise when he took away Chris's powers and the keys to his expensive Italian sports car.

We all laughed at my comment and Chris gave me an angry growl before stomping off downstairs where Wyatt followed. Leo and Phoebe gave me a hug and many kisses before walking out after them.

Aunt Paige stepped forward and brought me into a sweet hug before standing back and winking. "Make sure you let us know if you find any sexy men down there okay? Your seventeen and you need to start getting some action from the opposite sex." It was always my eccentric Aunt Paige who could make me blush brighter then a stop sign.

My mother admonished her sister with a glare before Paige left my room to give us some time alone. I had been dreading this part. Renee tended to get emotional fast and I wasn't one for getting all weepy over things. I turned on her with wary eyes only to realize there were tears already in hers. "Mom…" I choked. "Please, don't do this. I'll see you every weekend and I promise we'll talk every night on my new cell.

"I know, it's just… you've never been away from me for such long period of time and it's hard for me to let you go so far. Of course your father will be there, but sweetheart if anything happens I know you'll be doing more protecting, then him. This is why I'm frustrated." Her tears were now glimmering down her pale cheeks and I was getting more uncomfortable by the moment, but I anger was also working its way into my voice as I spoke.

"Mom, I'm seventeen and have had that many years of experience with magic. I realize I haven't gained all control but I know the basics and I know you'll always be there if I need help. I need you to trust me and I need to you to believe that I am capable of protecting myself and those I care about. It makes me frustrated when you worry like this. I love you and I promise I'll keep you up to date on everything, but if you can't have this much faith in me then how will I be able to fulfill my duties as a White-Lighter to these Cullens?" I took a deep breath and let the anger and frustration flow out me before continuing. My mother looked sad at my words and I needed to reassure her. "I'll be fine and I'll make you proud. You are a wonderful teacher and I have no doubt you've taught me well. Now I think it's time you let me do my part and let me show you how much I've gained from you mom." My voice had gone down into a whisper and I was happy to see that she was finally coming around a little.

"I'm sorry Bella. I trust you, I do. Just promise me you'll be careful and not stubborn when it comes to calling for help okay? I know you are strong and I know you will make me proud. Sometimes I think your more mature then me even, what with me being so forgetful all the time. I wouldn't know what to do without you sweetheart." I giggled. I only knew too well my mothers tendencies to forget things like eat breakfast or pay the bills.

Under my initial repulsion though, I was eager to see Charlie and meet my new charges. I had finally reached the age where the Elders, who were like our governing body, would entrust me with the lives of innocents. Newly Awakened White-lighters were required to take on charges, who usually consisted of humans or other inferior creatures, but sometimes we were assigned to vampires and demons who needed to be watched. This was the point where we had to prove how responsible we were with the lives of innocents and any mistakes could sometimes cost us their lives. It was a huge responsibility and I was definitely relieved when I received Vampires as my first charges rather then a fragile human, but I still realized that getting them to trust me would be a whole other ordeal.

I came back from my train of thought and looked at the door that my mother had only recently exited, after giving me a warm hug and kiss to my forehead. I took a long memorizing glance around my pale lavender room and stood to leave. I would not see it fro a while and I would miss it, but it was time to go and start my new life. i stood, grabbed my rolling luggage, and headed out my bedroom door without a second glance.

**Please be gracious enough to review, since I am not a great authoress like Miss Meyer I need reviews to help fuel my writing. Hope you've enjoyed!**

** Darkwitch **


	2. Illusions

It wasn't that turbulence on an airplane was frightening. Of course not, because airplanes rocking back and forth thousands of miles off the ground could never truly scare one such as me. I was not, at the moment, hiding under the thick, navy blue, wool blanket that smelled distinctly of that musty and nauseating airplane smell. No, in fact the only reason I was shivering relentlessly under this over washed piece of cloth was because the air-conditioning on the plane had suddenly seemed to have dipped to an unbearably cold temperature. At least, that's what I told myself.

Sarcasm was the way I dealt with all things horrific. I was fairly good at repressing unwanted experiences into the darkest recesses of my mind and at the moment I was experiencing one of those horrific moments, that I would later brush off sarcastically and then repress away into a solid iron box with all my other unwanted memories. No, the plane was not dive bombing into the endless depths of the ocean below, nor was the rest of the passengers screaming with terror, but I was still scared out of my wits. It was shameful, really, considering what I was and what the rest of the people surrounding me weren't, I had a much better chance at surviving any casualties this plane may be destined for.

Suddenly the horrible swaying of the plane ceased and I was left wondering if I had dreamt it all up. A voice that sounded a lot like one of those talking Barbie dolls informed the passengers that we had successfully maneuvered away from the storm and would be landing within the start of dawn. I sighed gustily, shuffling out of my poor hiding spot and glanced out the oval window beside me. It was still pitch black. Not even clouds graced my view of the sky outside. I leant my head against the cool plastic of the window and drifted to the anxious excitement I was feeling at the opportunities Forks would bring. The biggest challenge would be looking after the Cullen's: a family of seven vegetarian Vampires that consisted of four males and three females. As if the size of the coven hadn't been challenge enough, three of the seven were gifted with extraordinary powers. One could read minds, another manipulates and reads emotions, and the last had visions of the future. The latter would be the most difficult to avoid, if I were to try and keep what I was, a secret from them. The reason for such secrecy was because they could not be aware that magic existed unless extreme situations caused me to reveal myself. Generally being a White- lighter meant that my charges could not see or know of what I was unless there was a very specific reason. It was one of the rules the Elders enforced in order to ensure that the least amount of humans and other creatures were aware of the magical side of the world. This helped to maintain the amount of creatures that sought after our magic and lessen the chance of a world wide panic in the human realm. It would be increasingly difficult to insure there safety and gain their trust without actually allowing them to become suspicious.

The second challenge, which was to a much less excruciating degree of dangerous, was Charlie; the father I never really had. Unlike Renee, Charlie was a very private man, being the chief of police in Forks as he was. He did not feel comfortable in emotional fests and was more a parent to me then Renee. She was more like the overprotective best friend. My insight into Charlie's character had been gained solely from my past visits to his house during summers. Those usually consisted of frequent fishing trips (of which I hardly ever enjoyed, but put up with because he loved fishing), and me sitting cooped in my room reading, while Charlie watched the latest sports game on TV.

Though I haven't visited my father in over 3 years, I doubted much was different. He did not like changes very much; everything in the house had remained exactly the same since Renee had left him and I would be shocked if anything was different now, but my difficulties lay else where.

Charlie was very much unaware that my mother had been a witch and that I was now one as well. He had no idea that he had married into a family of magical creatures, and my mother who could be more of a child then me sometimes, had never had the heart to tell him. Even now I could not tell him and therein does my problem lie. Renee had forbidden me to mention anything of my magical heritage to Charlie. I guessed she had her reasons and even I was reluctant to burst Charlie's perfectly normal mortal life, but that would mean the next two years would be filled with deliberate lies and a number of other deceptions all in the name of protecting my dirty little secret. I thought he deserved to know, deserved to realize a possible cause to the collapse of his marriage and the reason for his heart break. Charlie was still very much in love with Renee, but unfortunately she had remarried Phil, a half mortal with very weak magical prowess. I thought he deserved to know who Renee really had been and finally come to terms with the shadows of his past, but Renee had insisted that telling him would only cause him unnecessary stress, disbelief, and turmoil and that right now , the less trouble that was stirred up, the better my chances of having a chaos free visit. Oh how wrong she would be.

Both Chris and Charlie stood uncomfortably at the airport waiting area in Port Angeles. I could feel the discomfort radiating off of them from here. Chris stood stiffly to the right of my fidgety seated father and I felt sympathy well up inside me. Charlie must have been extremely uncomfortable sitting with the son of the sister of his ex- wife. There probably wasn't much to talk about between them that wouldn't come out sounding awkward, after all they had cared for nothing of each others existence till a few weeks ago.

I walked hurriedly to the duo, trailing my only purple suitcase and gripping my shoulder bag tighter. As I approached them they both turned towards me and Charlie stood to gave me a timid smile. I gave one in return and he hugged me in the only way a man who hadn't had much practice with hugs could.

"Wow Bella, you've grown so much. I could hardly recognize you for a minute there." Charlie looked me over and pulled an arm around my shoulder before leading me towards the doors. Chris gave a brilliant grin from behind him and winked at me. I rolled my eyes. We both knew that my change in features had been due to the Awakening more then an actual development over time. My body had not physically aged after all, in two and a half years.

Chris put the bags in to the blue and white police cruiser and got into the backseat. I sat shotgun next to Charlie and for the first time heard Chris speak directly to him. "So…uh… uncle how goes the job, small town and all?"

"It's okay, he rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "But it's definitely not like those cop shows you watch on TV." Charlie squinted at the road in front of him and the car filled with a thick silence. I rubbed my fore head when I heard Chris mumble, "Assuming I watch those stupid shows of course," behind me. It was too low for Charlie to have heard and only because I was a Witch could it have sounded so loud to me, but I glanced over at Charlie non- the less, to make sure. Chris had this irrational dislike for humans. It had everything to do with their utter disregard for the environment around them and the fact that they were too dense to realize what harm they were causing. I on the other hand knew only too well the havoc Witches and other magical creatures could wreak on the same environment, but I found his concern sweet despite it.

I shot him a glare through the side mirror and whispered frantically for him to keep his opinions to himself. The rest of the ride passed in utter silence and not until we had pulled into the drive at the small two story house did Charlie speak again. "I bought you a car," I stared at him in utter shock of course, "You would need one to travel around here and Chris here picked it out. It was kind of battered in the beginning since it was from a used car dealership but Chris fixed it up. He did an awesome job too and it looks brand spankin' new now." Charlie gave an appreciative grin through the rearview mirror and Chris smirked at me. I knew that smirk.

"Dad, you really shouldn't have gone through all that trouble. I have enough saved to buy a nice car on my own." I looked at him with a sigh and relented. He was doing a Charlie version of a pout, with his face slightly scrunched up and his bottom lip pressed over the top one.

"Now Bells, I wanted to do this." He gave me a slightly stern look then turned the engine off and shooed me out of the car. As soon as I came outside and focused on the front of the house my breath caught. Not because the car was absolutely gorgeous even though it was, but because Chris had definitely not 'fixed it up' to get it to look this way. I pivoted to send a glare in his direction, but he seemed too focused on heaving the bags out of the car. Charlie grabbed the shoulder bag and the rolling one before taking off towards the house. "You two admire the car while I put this stuff in your room."

As soon as Charlie was out of hearing range I exploded. "YOU! How could you?!"

"Come on Bella, the one he got you could barely go over 50 mph. You wouldn't have wanted it, besides a Halliwell does not drive a used car." He looked at me evenly and I let out a muffled scream of frustration.

"You couldn't possibly get more moronic then this Chris! It would have meant more to me because he bought it and I wouldn't have given a shit about its used quality. I could have used magic to fix it up! What did you do with the one he bought?" I was angry now.

He shrugged casually. "I orbed it to the nearest junk yard."

"But he spent money on it! How could you do that?! He was trying to be a good father and it made him happy, how could you disregard all of that for some stupid stuck up perception of the Halliwell line?!"

"Bella, what's done is done and I put the money back into his bank account. He won't even know it's been returned so chill. It's not a stuck up perception of the Halliwell line, it's making sure my cousin has a good car for when she needs it during missions. You need it to be efficient and the motor quiet. You can't be driving around in something that old, without having to worry about constant problems. It was my Awakening gift for you. Please, just receive it without all the hassle!" After his speech I stood stunned and could only nod in acknowledgement, as he walked past me and into the house. Quickly I glanced at the car again. It was a garnet red color and the insignia marked it as a Honda FCX Clarity. The smooth round curves of its exterior shined bluntly even in the muted sunlight of a Forks morning and I couldn't help but admire it. This wasn't the time however, and I sighed before trudging in after him.

Chris and I worked silently to unpack my things and place them within the dresser. We worked in a somewhat comfortable silence before he kissed me on the cheek in goodbye and Charlie drove him to a small motel just outside of town. Once they were gone I sat heavily on the bed and looked around the small room. It had remained the same with only slight adjustments such as the new desk that my laptop occupied and a small oak dresser that contained my locked potions and magic materials. The rest of the room was filled by my twin sized bed and a moderate closet. The walls were painted a light blue and the yellowed lace curtains that had once framed the small open window beside the bed, had been replaced by dark violet ones. One glance outside made it obvious that it was raining heavily, darkening clouds roiling with thunder that wouldn't yet strike. My eyes closed as memories floated sluggishly through my mind. This had briefly been my childhood and although I preferred the sun, the storm outside brought me an odd sense of peace.

After my brief relapse into the past I found myself writing a note to Charlie that I had gone grocery shopping. It was a plausible lie since the cabinets in the kitchen were almost completely bare of anything edible, but I was actually going to do my first check up on the Cullen's. I was anxious at what I would find, but prepared for what I needed to do.

A new sense of excitement and an adrenaline filled pulse thrummed through me as I swerved through the roads at a speed of 90. The car was not only smooth but almost completely noiseless. It took sharp turns with incredible ease and shifted with the slightest adjustment of the steering wheel. My car was a complete dream ride. I allowed myself to get lost in its motions for most of the drive before getting serious as we approached the increasing green growths on the sides of the road. I had been given a 360 degree virtual map of the whole of Washington so that I was aware of where my charges lived and any other usable resources that I may need. With a flick of four fingers the map appeared floating to my right and shifted to show my location and the location I was approaching. Their home was close and I would need to stop about two miles beforehand in order to put up spells around the car and myself. I traced the road on the virtual map; there was an unpaved road that led off the 

main one I was on now. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernable for a few meters as it twisted, serpent -like, around the ancient trees. I stopped far enough away from the range of their senses and swiftly got out of the car. This had to be a quick and efficient visit.

My lips moved steadily as I concentrated on the ancient magic that flowed with my blood. It tingled through my senses and I let the heady sensation engulf me. My hands planted firmly against the hood of the car, I began to chant, letting each word twist and meld with the elements around me.

_Let the object of objection _

_Become but a dream_

_As I cause the seen to become unseen_

_Hear not my breathes_

_Feel not my desire_

_At my approach let all your senses_

_Become unwired_

_My future has become a gist_

_My mind nothing more then mist_

_Let your emotions run free but never come near me_

_I have become hidden from your golden eyes_

_Your powers have met their demise… _

The spell ended without much of a climax. And then my eyes opened to the panoramic forest around me. I looked down at the place my hand should have been resting against my car, instead I felt and saw nothing, but a tiny sensation at the back of mind allowed only me to feel where my car was. Quickly I entered the now invisible interior and drove faster towards my destination.

Within minutes I had silently pulled in to a small green meadow, or was it a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, as there were six primordial cedars that shaded the entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.

The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular, and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. The light misted rain that now surrounded the view made it picturesque. I parked to the side and made sure my body was also completely hidden. The tiny blue 

orbs of light, now no longer visible to anyone but myself transported me directly in front of one of the large windows at the back of the house. I was hoping for some sort of back entrance and was rewarded with large sliding glass doors that lead into a kitchen. I doubt the kitchen was ever used unless they entertained human guests. The thought made me giggle: Vampires inviting humans over for a dinner of pasta and roast beef.

I orbed again right into their adjoined living room. It was very bight, very open, and very large. The back, south facing wall had been entirely replaced by glass, and, beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, the high- beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white.

After admiring the beauty of the décor, I sent my senses outward to see if anyone was near. To my luck the house seemed to be completely empty and I carefully set to work putting up wards, protective shields, and warning spells that would notify me immediately of any foreigner, if they came within 10 feet of the house.

Sighing in accomplishment, I orbed back in front of my car and took a swift sweep of the adjoining forests around the house. The river bubbled nearby and I became aware of voices approaching the house. Before I could make my escape three vampires shot like bullets into the clearing, only feet from where I was currently standing. I stiffened and held my breath before realizing they wouldn't hear it anyways. Still, I let it out softly and watched the two males wrestling around on the grass. One had dark curly hair plastered to his head from the rain and a burly build. The other was honey blonde, his hair dripping into his handsome face, his body also muscular but less body builder material then the other. They were both as tall as redwood trees compared to the tiny pixie like female standing nearby and watching in amusement. She had black spiky hair that stood out in all directions. Her pale porcelain features more childlike but still beautiful. Four more Vampires rushed into the clearing and I gasped when my eyes were drawn to the last four. They were the most gorgeous beings I had ever seen. A golden haired female stood tall and statuesque, she was scowling slightly at the two brawling males. She had a beautiful figure and looked like she belonged in an issue of _Sports Illustrated _with her wet clothes sticking to the curves of her body. The next female looked older with a sweeter disposition to her features. She reminded me of the ingénues of the silent- movie era, with her heart shaped face, and soft bellowing, caramel colored hair. She was as pale as the rest with more rounded features then the others. She had a motherly look of disapproval to the actions of the two on the ground. Next to her stood a tall movie star like man, he was blonde and young with a kind face. He had a very appealing voice as he spoke to the two on the forest floor. "Emmett, Jasper stop fooling around and go inside. I have to make preparations for Charlie Swan's daughter. She will intern at the hospital starting tomorrow and Esme wants to invite her over for lunch." He spoke calmly, but firmly and both boys stood, the bigger one grumbling about stupid humans and how they had to ruin his fun.

I snickered at his disgruntled expression and turned to get into the car only to come face to face with the fourth and most offsetting of the seven Vampires. He was gorgeous, more so then all the others. His oddly colored hair stood in fitting disarray that gave new meaning to the bed head hair style, his body 

was tall and lanky, but still well muscled. The white button down shirt he wore had become transparent from the rain and the six pack was no longer hidden. My mouth had gone completely dry and I stood gawking at the image of male perfection before me. He was like cold water; smooth, cold, and graceful. One look at him both quenched my throat and ignited my hunger. It was a dangerous attraction, but how could I avoid the beauty of the creature before me? It was simple, I couldn't. He was the cause of sexually frustrated females all over the world and the smirk that adorned his face was the reason for the high pitched screeching of fan girls, which had been implanted into the female DNA.

Once I snapped out of my daze, fear flitted through me. He was looking directly at me or was it through me? I couldn't tell and so I swiftly tested his awareness of me by moving to the left, closer to my car. His eyes stayed focused on his siblings and I let out a sigh of relief. I sped quickly into my car, placed my hands on the dashboard and orbed directly into the grocery store parking lot and let down my invisibility charms. I didn't care if a human saw me appear out of nowhere, the only thing I was focused on now was calming my breathes. That reincarnate of Adonis had not only offset my natural balance, but had completely flipped my intestines upside down and knotted them into a useless mass of quivering goop.

I sighed in frustration at allowing my controlled façade to slip and punched the steering wheel hard. The horn sounded loudly and I jumped a mile when a loud chuckle came from behind me. I turned swiftly and scowled at the unwanted figure casually lounging in my backseat. He placed his fore arms on top of both the front seats and leaned closer to my darkening face. I was blushing hotly from anger and embarrassment. "What are you doing here?" I asked trying to keep the quiver out of my voice.

He looked into my eyes for a moment before responding, "Looking for you of course. You might not have kept track of the time, but Charlie sure had. You've been gone for two hours. He called me and I told him I'd go make sure you were okay at the grocery store." He smirked at my scowl and I flipped him off before getting out of the car.

"I told Charlie you have a hard time choosing between the chocolate n' mint swirl or the dulce de leche ice cream. That you could spend ours in front of the freezer door with a look of pure concentration on your face and then end up buying both every time." He snickered at my expense and I punched him hard in the gut. He doubled over in pain and laughter while we both walked towards the entrance. There were almost no people inside at this time, so I ran around getting everything I would need for a weeks worth of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then piled a few snacks into the cart, before taking off towards the cashier. The women there gave me a very weird look that I ignored and then turned to Chris with an impish smile. "Just for that snarky comment you made, you're paying for the groceries." And with that I left the cart with him and tramped back to my car.

He came back carrying five bags filled with food, loaded it into my trunk, gave me a dark look, and then settled into the passenger seat at the front. We pulled into Charlie's driveway within 15 minutes because of my crazy driving and unloaded the groceries in the kitchen. Charlie gave me a warm smile when I apologized for getting carried away with the ice cream , which I had also remembered to buy, then made some weird comment about contacts, and Chris burst into laughter before settling down to watch the game with Charlie.

Confused I made my way up to my room and caught a glance of myself in the mirror. A gasp escaped my lips at the swirling violet hue of my eyes and I realized why Charlie had made that comment and why the women at the store had looked strangely at me. I had completely forgotten about the effects my magic had on my eyes. Anytime I used my powers it would somehow implement itself in a physical way, changing the color of my eyes into varying shades of purple depending on the amount of magic I used. I had used many spells today and therefore my eyes had been a deep mass of swirling lavender at the grocery store. The women had most likely been fearful, but had probably dismissed it as contacts like Charlie. Growling at my carelessness I whispered a message to Chris about explaining the events of my mission later and how he would get a bashing for not telling me about my eyes, then proceeded to collapse into a fitful sleep on my comfortably, squishy mattress.


End file.
